Eagles' running game is fixed, at least for one day

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Chip Kelly is under no illusion that one ugly win against the New York Jets fixed anything for the Eagles, other than that pesky zero on the left side of the win-loss column. But he's not throwing it back.

"We still have a lot of corrections to make, but it's easier on a Tuesday when you're talking to a team after a win than after a loss," Kelly said Sunday afternoon following the Eagles' 24-17 win over the Jets in a performance that looked a lot more impressive when the score was 24-0.

When it comes down to recovering an onside kick to avoid a devastating turnaround, that's cutting things a little close, and the Eagles knew it.

"It was dirty. It was ugly, but it's good to get a win in the books and get some sort of positivity going," right tackle Lane Johnson said.

After the first two games of the season, positivity was as difficult to find as the Eagles' running game. That did change somewhat Sunday, at least in the first half, but whether that aspect of the offense is really on the right road won't be known for a while.

The question is, what does it say about the rushing offense when it only wakes up after an injury to the supposed workhorse of the group? DeMarco Murray, who strained a hamstring in practice last week and missed Sunday's game, has gained just 11 yards on 21 attempts this season.

His spot against the Jets was taken by Ryan Mathews, who had carried the ball just four times in the opening two losses. On Sunday, he rushed 25 times for 108 yards, including a 27-yard run on the opening drive that set the tone for the first half. He also came out of the backfield to catch a touchdown pass from Sam Bradford on a wheel route down the right sideline, easily outrunning the linebacker who tried to cover him.

It was an impressive half, and you can say the same about the whole team. What Kelly liked when things were working, particularly about Mathews, was that he took what was there rather than attempting to summon up something that wasn't.

"I like his style in terms of how it fits what we're doing," Kelly said. "He's a real decisive kind of one-cut runner. He sticks his foot in the ground and goes. He has to run through some arm tackles at times, and he did. He's got size to go with his explosiveness. It's not a make-you-miss thing. He's got to be physical, and I thought he was physical in there."

That was the stated reason for getting Murray, as well; that he wasn't a dancer like LeSean McCoy and would knife through the holes. At least to this point, that hasn't been the case, and now Murray is injured. If Mathews continues to perform, that's fine, but when Murray comes back will Kelly keep handing him a majority of the workload?

That's a reasonable question, but there is no question about how important it is to Kelly to get the run game involved. He even slowed the pace at times and put Bradford under center in order to get Mathews running hard and downhill before getting the ball.

"The more I dance around, the more chance the defense will be on me," Mathews said. "The fastest way from Point A to Point B is a straight line, and that's what I try to do."

It's important not to overstate the recovery of the team's rushing effort. Matthews gained 67 yards on 10 carries in the first half, then just 41 yards on 15 carries in the second half. With a 24-7 lead at halftime, the Eagles were obviously going to run the ball in the second half and milk the clock, and New York plugged that pretty well.

The Eagles also took no chances. They were three-and-out on five of their eight possessions and ran a total of just 27 plays in the second half (including two kneel-downs). The gas tank was approaching empty when time ran out after surviving the onside kick.

"Something we have to get better at is we have to be able to run the ball when everyone knows we're going to run the ball," Kelly said. "We have to work at that aspect of it."

Their issues are exacerbated by the tenuous state of the offensive line and by Bradford's inability to throw the ball down the field. He didn't complete a single pass Sunday to the receivers split wide on the field. If teams feel confident stacking extra players near the line of scrimmage, running will be difficult all season.

On this day, however, their strengths overcame their weaknesses for the first time this season, and they were able to avoid the cliff that awaited an 0-3 start. That's not to say that anything is really fixed, but it just doesn't look as broken after a win.

bford@phillynews.com

@bobfordsports